The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos

Asbestos was used in thousands of commercial products prior to when it was banned. Research suggests that exposure to asbestos can cause cancer and other health problems.

It is difficult to tell if something includes asbestos by looking at it, and you won't be able to taste or smell it. It can only be found when asbestos-containing materials are chipped, drilled or broken.

Chrysotile

At the height of its use, chrysotile made up 99% of the asbestos production. It was employed in a variety of industries like construction insulation, fireproofing, and insulation. Unfortunately, if workers were exposed to this harmful material, they may develop mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. Since the 1960s, when mesothelioma case first became a concern the use of asbestos has declined significantly. However, it is still present in trace amounts. are still present in common products that we use in the present.

Chrysotile is safe to use provided you have a comprehensive safety and handling plan in place. People who handle chrysotile do not exposed to an undue amount of risk at the current safe exposure levels. Lung fibrosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma have been strongly linked to breathing in airborne respirable fibres. This has been proven both for the intensity (dose) as well as duration of exposure.

In one study mortality rates were compared between a factory that primarily used chlorosotile to make friction materials and the national death rate. It was found that, for the 40 years of processing asbestos chrysotile in low levels of exposure there was no signifi cant increase in mortality in this particular factory.

Chrysotile fibres tend to be shorter than other types of asbestos. They can penetrate the lungs and pass into the bloodstream. This makes them more prone to causing health effects than fibres with longer lengths.

When chrysotile is mixed with cement, it's extremely difficult for the fibres to air-borne and pose health risks. Fibre cement products are used in a variety of locations around the world including hospitals and schools.

Research has shown that amphibole asbestos like amosite or crocidolite is not as likely than chrysotile in causing disease. Amphibole types like these are the primary cause of mesothelioma, and other asbestos-related diseases. When chrysotile is mixed in with cement, it creates a strong, flexible construction product that can withstand harsh conditions in the weather and other environmental hazards. It is also easy to clean up after use. Asbestos fibres can easily be removed by a professional and then safely eliminated.

Amosite

Asbestos refers to a set of silicate minerals with fibrous structure that are found naturally in specific types of rock formations. It consists of six general groups: serpentine, amphibole anthophyllite, tremolite and crocidolite (IARC, 1973).

Asbestos minerals are made up of thin, long fibres that range in length, ranging from very fine to wide and straight to curled. They can be found in nature as bundles or individual fibrils. Asbestos is also found in powder form (talc), or combined with other minerals to create vermiculite or talcum powder. These are commonly used as consumer goods, such as baby powder, cosmetics and facial powder.

Asbestos was used extensively in the early two-thirds of the 20th century to construct construction of ships insulation, fireproofing and other construction materials. The majority of occupational exposures were asbestos fibres in the air, however some workers were exposed contaminated vermiculite or talc, and to fragments of asbestos-bearing rocks (ATSDR, 2001). Exposures varied from industry to industry, era to and even geographical location.

Exposure to asbestos in the workplace is mainly caused by inhalation. However, some workers have been exposed through skin contact or by eating food items contaminated with asbestos legal. Asbestos is only present in the air due to the natural weathering of mined ore and the deterioration of products contaminated with asbestos such as insulation, car brakes and clutches, and floor and ceiling tiles.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that non-commercial amphibole fibers can also be carcinogenic. These are fibers that are not the tightly knit fibrils of the amphibole or serpentine minerals but instead are loose, flexible and needle-like. These fibers can be found in cliffs, mountains and sandstones of many countries.

Asbestos can be found in the environment in the form of airborne particles, however it can also be absorbed into soil and water. This occurs both from natural (weathering and erosion of asbestos-bearing rocks) and human-caused (disintegration and disposal of asbestos-containing materials in landfill sites) sources. Asbestos contamination of surface and ground water is mostly due to natural weathering, but it has also been caused by anthropogenic activities such as milling and mining, demolition and dispersal of asbestos-containing materials as well as the disposal of contaminated soils for disposal in landfills (ATSDR, 2001). Exposure to asbestos case-containing airborne fibres is the most common cause of illness in people exposed to asbestos in the workplace.

Crocidolite

Exposure to asbestos through inhalation is the most frequent method by which people are exposed to the dangerous fibres, which can then be inhaled and cause serious health issues. Mesothelioma and asbestosis as well as other diseases are caused by asbestos fibres. Exposure to fibers can occur in different ways too, such as contact with contaminated clothing or materials. The dangers of this kind of exposure are more pronounced when crocidolite, a asbestos that is blue, is involved. Crocidolite has smaller, more fragile fibers that are more easy to breathe and can be lodged deeper in lung tissue. It has been linked to a greater number of mesothelioma cases than any other form of asbestos.

The six major kinds are chrysotile and amosite. Amosite and chrysotile are the most commonly used forms of asbestos and make up 95% of commercial asbestos that is used. The other four asbestos types are not as widespread, but they can still be present in older structures. They are less dangerous than amosite or chrysotile, but they can still pose a threat when mixed with other minerals, or when mined near other naturally occurring mineral deposits such as talc and vermiculite.

Numerous studies have shown an association between stomach cancer and asbestos exposure. However the evidence isn't conclusive. Some researchers have cited an SMR (standardized death ratio) of 1.5 (95 percent confidence interval: 0.7-3.6), for all asbestos workers, whereas others have reported an SMR of 1,24 (95 percent confidence interval: 0.76-2.5), for workers in chrysotile mills and mines.

IARC The IARC, which is the International Agency for Research on Cancer, has classified all types of asbestos as carcinogenic. All asbestos types can cause mesothelioma however, the risk is dependent on the amount of exposure, the type of asbestos is involved, and the length of time that exposure lasts. The IARC has recommended that the prevention of all asbestos types is the most important thing to do, as this is the best option for people. If you have been exposed to asbestos and suffer from a respiratory illness or mesothelioma then you should seek advice from your physician or NHS111.

Amphibole

Amphibole is one of the minerals that form long prisms or needle-like crystals. They are a type of inosilicate mineral made up of two chains of molecules of SiO4. They typically have a monoclinic crystal structure however some may have an orthorhombic structure. The general formula of an amphibole is A0-1B2C5T8O22(OH,F)2. The double chains consist of (Si,Al)O4 Tetrahedrons that are joined in rings of six. The tetrahedrons are separated each other by octahedral sites in strips.

Amphibole minerals are found in metamorphic and igneous rocks. They are typically dark-colored and hard. They are sometimes difficult to distinguish from pyroxenes since they share similar hardness and color. They also have a similar cleavage. However, their chemistry allows for an array of compositions. The chemical compositions and crystal structures of the various minerals in amphibole can be used to determine their composition.

Amphibole asbestos is comprised of chrysotile as well as the five types of asbestos amosite, anthophyllite (crocidolite) amosite (actinolite) and amosite. While the most frequently used form of asbestos is chrysotile, each variety is unique in its own way. Crocidolite is the most dangerous asbestos kind. It contains sharp fibers that are easily inhaled into the lung. Anthophyllite ranges from brown to yellowish in color and is composed of magnesium and iron. The variety was used previously in products such as cement and insulation materials.

Amphibole minerals are difficult to analyze because they have a a complicated chemical structure and a variety of substitutions. Therefore, a detailed analysis of their composition requires special methods. EDS, WDS and XRD are the most popular methods for identifying amphiboles. However, these methods only give approximate identifications. For instance, they cannot differentiate between magnesio-hastingsite and magnesio-hornblende. These techniques do not distinguish between ferro-hornblende as well as pargasite.